Hi from Sinal do Vale in Xerém, Brazil and Merry Christmas Eve. I am at a friend’s sustainable farm and retreat in the hills above Rio de Janeiro!!! Just what I needed for the holidays. I got here the day before yesterday after an amazing trip to Paraty, a colonial beach town a few hours from here, where some friends and I attended a beginning-of-the-world party at the city’s Cultural Center.
We were invited to Paraty by Edgar Gouveia Jr, an architect specializing in bioarchitecture and intuitive technology with a post-degree in cooperative games. He is also the founder of Elos Institute and Warriors Without Weapons program. This guy is at the forefront of applied research on how to change the world. As it so happens, this particular night, December 21, also marked the launch of Edgar’s online game – Play the Call – that aims to change the world — for real. Thousands of programers from around the world, including employees at Pixar, have contributed their time to the cause. Here he is a couple years ago on TEDx Amazonia (it’s in Portuguese…).
Edgar is an amazing human that makes you believe, through his positive energy and optimism, that anything is possible. I tip my hat to him and the rest of the Play the Call team. Best of luck guys!
And, again, Merry Christmas Eve. Tomorrow I will be at Copacabana Beach for a concert with Stevie Wonder and Gilberto Gil. The event organizers are expecting 1 MILLION people. Rio de Janeiro, here i come. (I still haven’t forgotten to tell you what the Great Barrier Reef, NYC, and the Brazilian Sertão have in common. It’ll be one of the next blog posts.)
Jarrod Miles Russell 